Left vs Right

A young woman from Bayview was about to finish her first year at Sydney University.

Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be politically concerned about “social justice”, and she was very much in favour of higher taxes to support her education and for more government programs – in other words, the redistribution of wealth.

She was deeply embarrassed that her father was a rather staunch blue-ribbon Liberal Party voter, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had attended and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored a selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs & public servants.

The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors must be the truth, and she indicated so to her father.

He responded by asking how she was doing at university.

Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 90% average, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn’t even have time for a boyfriend, and didn’t really have many university friends because she spent all her time studying.

Her father listened and then asked, “How is your friend Audrey doing?” She replied, “Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 50% average. She is so popular on campus; university for her is a blast. She’s always invited to all the parties, and lots of times she doesn’t even show up for classes because she’s too hung over.”

Her wise father asked his daughter, “Why don’t you go to the Dean’s office and ask him to deduct 20% off your average and give it to your friend who only has 50%. That way you will both have a 70% average, it would be fair and you would both be equal.”

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father’s suggestion, angrily fired back, “That’s a crazy idea; how would that be fair! I’ve worked really hard for my grades! I’ve invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!”

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, “Welcome to the conservative side of the fence.”

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If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between Liberal and Loony Lefties, I’m all ears. If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test!

If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn’t buy one. If a Loony Lefty doesn’t like guns, they want all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat. If a Loony Lefty is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative is gay, he quietly leads his life. If a Loony Lefty is gay, he demands legislated endorsement to protect his feelings.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A Loony Lefty wonders who is going to take care of him, and Occupies tax-payer funded public spaces to protest the inequality.If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels. Loony Lefties demand that those they don’t like should be banned.

If a Liberal voter is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church. A Labor/Green non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it’s a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative doesn’t agree with your ethics, he’ll argue the merits of his opinion, & proactively lobby for his political ideas. If Loony Lefties are challenged on their ethics, they’ll cleverly label the dissenting opinion as a result of irrational mental infirmity, some actually rare phobia; and ironically attempt to discredit the opposite position to their own as intolerant, bigoted & anti-social extremism.
Conservatism is not an absence of social justice. In fact, the opposite is true. Conservatives believe equal opportunity is achieved by “reward for effort”, and that welfare should be a second chance, not a lifestyle.

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Brian, “?:D just cause you know I love you, [Marsha,] So the when the lovely girl graduates, she can confidently know that she will be earning twice the amount as her bimbo friend, because thats life, you get rewarded for your efforts. And when her employers asked her which university she graduated from she can say, Sydney Uni, which she was able to defer to her FEE’s to the her wonderful government who valued universal education. Then when her children get sick she can go to a public hospital and see a good and qualified doctor thanks to Medicare, given to her by a wonderful government who cared about universal health care. When her children need to go to school they can get a worldwide recognised education that doesn’t cost the world, thanks once again to her government. And she can have friends like me, a chinese/vietnamese guy whose parents where supported and cared for out of a war torn country, thanks to your wonderful government who cared for the people around the world escaping oppression. Not to shabby for those Looopy Labor Party people hey 🙂

Dave, “Has that historically been available exclusively under Labor Govt’s?

Along with computers but no maintenance therefore draining other, basic education funds; Julia Gillard Memorial school halls at three times the market price; $900 to stimulate Chinese plasma TV manufacturers or to just pay off many credit cards, still stimulating nothing; the health system that’s a complete debacle in most states after long term Labor Govt’s; the insulation that’s first put in, then kills a few people, then taken out again; or do you mean the great tax that will change the global temperature by punishing Australian manufacturing & exporters but not overseas manufacturing or importers – making us even less competitive with cheap overseas imports, thereby increasing their production which is less environmentally considerate then our own and actually increasing the global temperature, if having any impact at all on temperatures, but regardless having a massive impact on our economy, alone, in the world. This is of course the infamously promised “never under a govt I lead” tax.

“Shabby, Loopy Labor”? Both the pollies, their members, & those they continue to dupe: yes – but not my words.”

Brian, “?:) I’m still here because of them… and mate I don’t doubt that they need to get there act together and look at how they form policy, serve the people and manage the national finances… but when people have a cry saying they should be shot and run to the other party as their saviour… All I say is, I’m happy with a government that looks after me and doesn’t SHOOT ME. Hey you make mistakes, thats ok… I’ll use my democratic rights to vote someone else in… I’m just happy that if or when I do… you don’t stand at the polls with AK-47’s asking me to VOTE1 Labor.”

Damian, “I want a government that shoots junkies and charges the family for the bullet.”[please note comments are not edited and selective editing does not equate to approval, endoresement, or agreement – Ed.]

Marsha, “Brian, I for one am more than happy to allow hard working appreciative contributing families like yours into Australia. It’s just a pity we can’t do a straight swap with those who don’t realise what a great country we have ;-)”

Brian, “Brian, what you’re saying is true. But it’s the same truth as Labor saying our economy’s not as bad as others; but that’s not enough.

There is a higher truth: that “good” is the enemy of “excellent”.

It’s not enough that we’re better than worse off countries. In fact, it’s because we’re blessed we have a greater responsibility to not be satisfied with good, or with warm & fuzzy neo-socialist wealth-redistribution strategies. It’s our responsibility to genuinely help the less-fortunate to a point that they can help others, and not perpetuate generational-welfare, anti-wealthy cultures.

Taxing those who make the most disproportionately & treating them as the enemy of the 99% is forgetting that most of the business owners work for years twice as hard for half as much as their staff before they “get lucky”; and makes aspirational small businesses the enemy. But small businesses employ 90% of workers, and so logically making it harder & less attractive to succeed, makes jobs harder & less attractive to provide.

Labor might be good at looking after a few, but Liberal/National are excellent at looking after the whole.

You’ll hear fear-based propaganda that we’re elitist, anti-immigration, anti-worker conservatives – and this is a cold lie; but “good” is the enemy of “excellent”, & the condition of the States & Nation is lately poor enough to prove this.

About The Author

Dave helps businesses, churches & ministries communicate better. He holds a graduate certificate in Applied Ministry, and as well as leading teams in his local church, has been strategically involved at an executive level with major and minor political parties and many campaigns.

Stay Tuned For

The topics I'll be addressing in this blog will be practical teaching designed to resource believers and church leaders in better understanding how politics works in Australia, and how the Church works in politics (and vice versa).

These will include:
• Separation of Church & State?
• Australia's Christian Identity
• Prolific Politics in the Bible
• Love Like the Good Samaritan
• Preach It, Nehemiah
• The Australian Political System
• How Jesus Would Vote
• The Importance of Prayer